The Book Boyfriend Series Box Set

by Carly Phillips

  “And once you graduated?” she asked, still fishing to know more.

  He shrugged. “There just hasn’t been anyone who’s made me want to settle down for the long haul.” He allowed a faint smile to appear. “I think maybe I’ve set my expectations too high.”

  More questions swirled in her gaze, intimate and personal, but before she could voice any of them, their server arrived with their pizza. She placed it on a rack in the middle of the table and set a large plate in front of each of them.

  “Would either of you care for another drink?” the young woman asked.

  Ella shook her head, obviously keeping a clear head for the drive home. “I’m good with just this one glass.”

  “I’m fine, too,” Kyle said.

  The waitress moved on to another table, and Kyle went ahead and served them both a slice of the fragrant pizza, loaded with the simple and classic ingredients they liked—pepperoni, mushrooms, and extra mozzarella.

  He took a big bite of his and wiped his napkin across his mouth. “So, turnabout in our conversation and all that, since I just gave up my romantic history, or lack thereof, is this where I now get to ask about you and Tucker?”

  She blanched at the mention of the other man’s name and set her half-eaten slice back on her plate. “I’d rather you didn’t ask. I’m actually having a really nice evening, and I don’t want to think about Tucker right now.”

  Alrighty then. So much for finding out what had happened between the two of them and why they’d never made it to the altar. “Fair enough,” he said, respecting her wishes.

  She finished her Moscato and resumed eating her dinner. “What I’d rather know is how you become a residential and commercial redeveloper. I thought you’d planned on majoring in agricultural business management.”

  Yes, that had been his original intention, back when the two of them had talked about returning to Woodmont after college. The areas around the small town would have given him the opportunity to find a decent-paying job in the agricultural market, dealing with commodity, food marketing, and environmental conservation. But when he’d realized that there wasn’t anything to go back to Woodmont for, and certainly not to live there again, he’d revised his plans and gone for a degree in civil engineering.

  “When I started at the construction company while going to college, I had zero experience in building anything,” he said as he finished with his second piece of pizza and reached for a third. “I basically started out as the gopher and a grunt, taking on all the shit jobs nobody else wanted to do.”

  He gave her a wry small. “I had to start somewhere, but I worked hard, I never complained, and I learned every aspect of construction that I could during those four years while I was in school. I was also fortunate enough that the owner took a liking to me and moved me up to an apprentice pretty quickly, then full-time laborer. Two years ago, he offered me a position as a supervisor with a great salary and full benefits that would lead to being a project manager, but that was right around the time that three of my friends were talking about starting up their own business, and they wanted me to come in as the fourth partner.”

  “Premier Realty?” she guessed, putting her crumpled napkin on her empty plate and pushing the dish aside.

  “Yes. There’s a luxury real estate side to the company that Wes and Max manage as brokers, and a redevelopment side to the business, which I and my good friend, Connor—the guy you sort of met in my office today—oversee,” he explained. “Wes and Max usually come across the run-down houses and buildings as soon as they go on the market. Connor and I assess them to make sure that the resale value after the renovations and improvements are completed is worth the time and effort.”

  She nodded in understanding. “Are you happy?” she asked, her voice soft.

  Jesus, that was such a loaded question. On one hand, he was satisfied with his career. Financially, the company was thriving and he’d made a ton of money he’d invested in different ways. Mentally, he enjoyed the challenges that came with rehabbing old structures. On the other hand, there were days—actually, mostly at night when he was in bed trying to fall asleep—when he keenly felt that something fundamental was missing from his life. A certain someone to come home to and share all the successes with.

  But overall, he had a fulfilling job, loyal friends, and a great life. It was hard to complain about any of that.

  “Yes, I’m happy. I love what I do,” he told her. “Every day is different, and there’s something very satisfying and rewarding about taking a structure that is old and run-down and making it into a showpiece. How about you? Are you happy?”

  “Most of the time,” she replied honestly.

  She gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, and she suddenly seemed . . . tired. Not tired as in she needed sleep, but mentally fatigued.

  “Some days are monotonous, and sometimes I wake up in the morning feeling like I’m living the Groundhog Day movie, where my life feels like it’s caught in a time loop. Buying the building and opening that section for artisans would have made my job a bit more fun and enjoyable because it’s something that I’ve always wanted.”

  He hated that he’d taken that away from her. “I’m sorry.”

  She tipped her head to the side, her smile reaching her eyes. “You know, I really want to be mad at you for buying the building, but I can’t. Not anymore. Not when your reasons for purchasing it couldn’t be any more selfless.”

  He shifted uncomfortably at her comment. “I don’t know about selfless.” Finished with his dinner and beer, he sat back in the booth. “Honestly, my mom is the selfless one and always has been. Not me.”

  “She’s very lucky to have a son like you,” she said one last time, and before he could say anything else, she went on. “Speaking of which . . . how’s Todd doing? Last anyone heard, he’d moved to Colorado.”

  “He’s still there,” Kyle said, then told her about Todd’s DUI accident that had killed another man in a head-on collision. Todd had survived the wreck but was now serving time in prison in Denver on a manslaughter charge.

  The waitress came around again, and since Kyle wasn’t ready to part ways with Ella, he ordered a cannoli for the two of them to share. As they ate the dessert, they talked about her sister, too, and how Gwen came and went depending on whether she needed money or a place to stay. A few months back, she’d gotten involved with a guy who’d ridden through town on a motorcycle, and after spending the weekend with him, she’d announced that she wanted a more exciting life than Woodmont had to offer, then hopped onto the back of the stranger’s bike with a backpack of belongings, and Ella hadn’t heard from her since.

  Kyle found it incredibly sad that both of their siblings had gone sideways, so to speak, and had only thought of themselves—while he and Ella seemed to be the responsible ones in the family. Ella had taken over running the market, not out of choice but most likely out of obligation to keep them financially stable since her dad was unable to work. She made sure her father was taken care of, and Kyle had done the same with his mother—and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

  As the time passed, their conversation veered toward happier recollections of growing up in Woodmont and the fun events in high school—the football games, his wrestling matches, and even Kyle and Nolan doing a stupid skit in the school’s version of The Gong Show that got them booed off the stage. The reminiscing made them both laugh at times, and also brought on a pang of melancholy during a conversation about the two of them spending most of that last summer at the creek, where they’d floated in inner tubes and swung like Tarzan and Jane on the length of rope they’d tied to an oak tree so they could jump into the water.

  Their lives had seemed so easy and carefree and fun—until the night that tore them apart in a way Kyle never would have believed possible.

  He glanced at the time on his cell phone, surprised to see that it was nearly eight thirty and they’d spent over two hours talking. “I think traffic should be go
od by now,” he said, signaling the waitress for the bill.

  “Yeah, I do need to get going,” she said, and he heard the soft reluctance in her voice that mirrored his own disappointment that their evening together was coming to an end.

  * * *

  The stroll back to Kyle’s office building, where Ella parked her car, wasn’t nearly as crazy or hectic as the walk to the restaurant. The city was still busy since it was a Friday evening, but the crowds had thinned out, and the people now driving on the roads didn’t seem to be as aggressive as the ones who’d been anxious to get home after a stressful day at work. And she certainly didn’t hate the fact that Kyle held her hand securely in his, even if it was just to keep her close so they didn’t get separated. There was something incredibly sexy about a man who was inherently protective, and it was so damn easy to relax and trust him to keep her safe.

  Even still, Ella was relieved when they finally arrived at her vehicle, which was one of only a few left in the parking structure. As they neared her older-model and practical Honda Accord, she disengaged the alarm and unlocked the door with her key fob. She turned to face Kyle, and he released her hand and pushed both of his into the front pockets of his jeans.

  Her traitorous pulse hammered with anticipation as his gaze lowered to her lips, as if he was debating on whether or not he wanted another taste. Was he going to kiss her again? Did she want him to kiss her again? And what did it say about her that, yes, she’d eagerly welcome the press of his mouth against hers and the slow, deep slide of his tongue? She ached to feel his long fingers tangling in her hair and his hard body imprinting the length of hers.

  The chemistry between them was silent but strong and undeniable. There was no doubt in her mind that they both felt it. Wanted to give in to it.

  He lifted his gaze to her eyes again and gave her a smile that was both charming and sweet. He remained where he was standing a respectable distance away from her, his hands rooted firmly in those pockets. Despite the kiss they’d shared earlier, he was being a gentleman now, and a disappointed part of her understood. They’d be stupid to start something when there was clearly no way they could make things work between them again. There was too much history between them, too many miles separating them, and their lifestyles couldn’t be any more opposite.

  “I know you came to the city hoping to leave with a different answer about the property, but I’m really glad that you stayed and we had dinner together,” he finally said, as if he’d come to the same conclusion about them that she had, which explained his polite behavior now.

  She gave him a genuine smile. “Me, too.”

  “It really was great talking to you and getting caught up after all these years.” He tipped his head to the side, his gaze optimistic. “I’d like to hope going forward we could be friends?”

  “I’d like that,” she agreed with a nod, stupidly wishing it could be more. But friends was certainly better than the adversaries they’d started out as at yesterday’s auction. “I guess I’ll be seeing you around, since you’ll be working on the Piedmont building for a while?”

  “Yes.” He withdrew a hand from his pocket and absently rubbed his palm against the sexy scruff on his jaw. “I’ll be there next weekend cleaning it out, and as soon as permits are approved, I’ll get started on the renovations. I figure it’ll take a few months to get the place done and ready to open.”

  There was no other reason to stall her time with Kyle, so she got into her car, put her key into the ignition, and rolled down her window. Before she left, there was one more thing she needed to say to him. “Thank you for taking care of me tonight and being patient with my earlier freak-out on the way to the restaurant.” Without his understanding, that incident could have gone so much worse than it had.

  “Anytime you’re in the city, I’m your guy,” he said with a playful wink.

  She laughed and turned the key in the ignition to start her car. The engine turned over for a few seconds, then sputtered and died. She frowned and tried a second time, only for it to happen again. She gave it one more shot and absolutely nothing happened. What the hell?

  With a sense of dread settling in her stomach, she glanced out the window to Kyle, whose brows were creased in concern. “Sounds like your fuel pump just failed.”

  She didn’t know exactly what that meant, but it didn’t sound good. “Are you serious?”

  He gave her a sympathetic look. “That’s my educated guess, judging by what I just heard.”

  She blinked at him. She had no idea what a failed fuel pump entailed. “And that means . . .?”

  “Unfortunately, it’s something that’s going to have to be replaced.” He glanced at the digital display on his phone. “Considering it’s after nine and every auto shop in the city is closed for the night, it means you’re going to have to wait until the morning to get it diagnosed and fixed.”

  She dropped her forehead to the steering wheel with a frustrated groan, unable to believe this was happening to her. She was stranded in the city for the night—and she had no idea how to handle the car situation. “What am I going to do?”

  She was talking mostly to herself, but Kyle replied as if she’d posed the question to him.

  “I have a friend who owns an auto shop fairly close by,” he said, scrolling through the contacts in his phone to find said friend’s number. “I’ll give him a call right now and see what he can do. Most likely, we’ll have to get the car towed to his place tonight and leave the keys in the drop box so he can diagnose the problem first thing in the morning.”

  “Okay.” It wasn’t as though she had a choice. She couldn’t get home without her vehicle.

  While Kyle made the phone call, she rolled the window back up and got out of the car, knowing she was going to have to make a call of her own—to her father, who didn’t even know she’d gone into the city to talk to Kyle. She would have liked to have kept it that way, but no such luck. She couldn’t not return home tonight, or not show up at the market first thing in the morning to open up for the day, and not explain her whereabouts.

  Ella made another call home, her second one that evening. She breathed a sigh of relief when Betsy answered and not her father. The last thing she wanted to deal with right now was an interrogation over the phone.

  Ella asked for an update on her dad first, and Betsy assured her that he was fine and had gone to bed about a half hour ago. Since Betsy was a widow and lived alone, Ella asked her if she’d stay the night, which the other woman had done plenty of times when Ella had been dating Tucker, or the times she stayed the night with Claire for some girl time. She’d sleep in the guest room and be there when Ella’s father woke up in the morning.

  She disconnected her call just as Kyle got off the phone with his friend, his expression full of reassurance. “Rick gets into the shop at six in the morning. He said he’ll get to your car first thing, but we have to get it towed there. So, I’ll make another call and get that done for you, too, since I have roadside service and it won’t cost you anything.”

  “Thank you,” she said, incredibly grateful that she didn’t have to do this on her own, because she’d probably end up with another full-blown anxiety attack. Before her time in the city came to an end, she was going to be indebted to Kyle for numerous reasons.

  “Is there a hotel nearby that I can stay at for the night?” she asked him, figuring she’d see if she could get a reservation while he handled the tow service.

  The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smile that was both endearing and devious. “There is no way in hell I’m letting you out of my sight while you’re in the city. Not after what happened earlier.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she insisted, because she didn’t want to be totally dependent on him. She’d like to believe she could be a self-sufficient woman when the occasion called for it. “I can handle staying the night at a hotel.”

  “I have a guest room. You’re staying with me at my place, Ella.”

  His tone was firm,
brooking no argument, and as soon as she opened her mouth to argue anyway, he held up a hand to cut her off.

  “It’s not negotiable, Sunshine.”

  Yeah, she melted just a little bit at the use of that sweet nickname.

  “You don’t have a car, and you don’t know the city like I do,” he reasoned, and she couldn’t refute the truth of his statement. “You have no idea where the auto shop is, and I’m not going to spend tomorrow morning worrying that you’re wandering around the city, lost and trying to figure out where you are.”

  “Okay,” she relented, realizing he had a valid point, even if she did hate inconveniencing him in any way. “Fine.”

  He chuckled in amusement. “You don’t have to sound so happy about it. Is staying with me that much of a hardship?”

  No, he was too much of a temptation. “Far from it,” she murmured, belatedly realizing what she’d just admitted. God, he was making her crazy.

  He didn’t bother holding back the playful grin that appeared. “Don’t worry, I won’t take advantage of you,” he promised, his voice low and seductively deep. “Unless, of course, you want me to.”

  Her face heated much too conspicuously. Feeling uncharacteristically flustered, she glanced away from his warm, inviting stare. “Call for a tow truck so we can get the car where it needs to be and then we can get to bed.” Jesus, did she really just say that?

  A generous amount of humor danced in his gorgeous blue eyes. “Yeah, I’m all about us going to bed.”

  Desire, strong and tantalizing, coursed through her. The naughty innuendo caused images of the two of them tangled up in his sheets, and with each other, to flash through her mind—and she quickly tried to amend her comment.